Privacy--who needs it? The creators of WeFi don't seem to think much of it, although that might not be a bad thing

Today the company, which offers up a pretty svelte little replacement for Windows' clunky Wi-Fi manager, is launching two new items: a mobile application for Windows Mobile users (which could soon be SideKick users too), along with a Facebook application to help users track people using the service. Oddly enough, in all its news release bravado the company failed to offer up a link to said Facebook application, and it's not in the directory--so I can't get my hands on it.

The Windows Mobile application is similar to the desktop version--letting users discover and log Wi-Fi spots, as well as add them to a central database which can searched and referenced. Think of it a little bit like Wi-fi Hotspotr (review), but integrated at a system level.

What's interesting here is the new Facebook application, which like Whereboutz (review), will let users track Facebook friends if they're using WeFi. This all happens in real-time, meaning if a friend is at the local coffee shop and they decide to check their e-mail using a Windows Mobile smart phone, WeFi users will see them pop up on a map. Users can even get these status alerts to show up in the Facebook news feed.

WeFi has had a similar program going through Twitter, letting members automatically note where they are grabbing Wifi via a WeFi-marked access point. To some this might be a little more information than they're comfortable sharing. I'm hoping that WeFi has setup the application to limit who can see the information using Facebook's default privacy settings, or at least let users pick out who gets to see what off a short list.

About the author

Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and now covers Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about everything from new Web start-ups, to remote-controlled robots that watch your house. Prior to joining CNET, Josh covered breaking video game news, as well as reviewing game software. His current console favorite is the Xbox 360.
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